Windows on Divorce: Before and after

Author: Hanson T.L.   McLanahan S.S.   Thomson E.  

Publisher: Academic Press

ISSN: 0049-089X

Source: Social Science Research, Vol.27, Iss.3, 1998-09, pp. : 329-349

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Abstract

This paper uses data from the National Survey of Families and Households to examine how parental divorce is related to three important types of family resources: economic resources, parental resources (socialization practices), and community resources. We pay special attention to the dynamic character of family resources, examining how resources change as parents move closer to divorce and whether the consequences of divorce for family resources are short term or long term. Consistent with other work in this area, we find that parental divorce has severe negative consequences for the economic well-being of mothers and children. Most of our results for parental resources suggest that marital disruption results in declines in effective parental practices, at least in the short term. Our results for community resources provide some evidence that parental divorce results in gains in extra-household sources of support—although in some areas, community resources decline after divorce as well.